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So what’s a little mistake here and there?

CBS did a story on Easter focusing on Mary and her part in Jesus’ life and death. In so doing it originally said that Mary along with John the Baptist were at Jesus crucifixion. Imagine if that were true! What a show to have John the Baptist who had been beheaded show up for the crucifixion! It’s not the biggest mistake in the world, after all there was a John there, just not the dead guy from earlier in the story. But CBS was not alone in making an Easter Story faux pas.

The New York Times reported that “Easter is the celebration of the resurrection into heaven of Jesus, three days after he was crucified”. Again close but not quite right. Jesus was resurrected to life after three days but He ascended to heaven forty days later. In fact it gets a little comical when the correction the New York Times put up is still incorrect, “This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the Christian holiday of Easter. It is the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead, not his resurrection into heaven.” Jesus was not resurrected (brought back to life) a second time. The correction should of reported that Jesus “ascended into heaven”.

They didn’t bother to put up a correction to the correction.

At this point some of you are says, “Ah… Noah, in case you haven’t reread some these post you’ve put up there are about 3,000 spelling and grammar mistakes in your writing.” (In fact saying that are only 3,000 may be being generous).

We all make mistakes telling or retelling stories. We all get details of thing we assume we know incorrect now and then. But I found it interesting that two of our biggest news outlets got the facts about the same story, one that used to be common knowledge wrong on the same weekend. The Easter story and the Bibles telling of it used to be so common in the Western World would that even children would of gotten these facts correct. Today major media outlets have many layers of fact checkers and proof readers that comb over a story before it goes to print or on appears on television. And NOBODY in the layers before it got to you and me saw these mistakes.

In recent years Christians have been discussing whether or not we live in a post-Christian culture. Post-Christian culture being that the basic world view of most Americans is no longer shaped by basic Judeo-Christian ideas and morals. When what used to be common public knowledge about basic Bible stories is no longer known in major media outlets, I think it reflects that in something has indeed changed*.

And you know what? I think it may be end up being GREAT news. Christianity often shines the brightest when it can be clearly contrasted in a cultural that has opposing values. It may be that Christianity will be taken seriously again when people see that there is a real difference in thought and action by those that would dare to call themselves Christians. If we are living in a post-Christian culture, what an opportunity God has given us. Perhaps it will awaken Christians that we have vast mission field before us and we won’t need a plane ticket to get there, all we have to is walk out the door.

* Some of you may believe that I am incorrect in believing that the “major media” reflects what the rest of country believes, since most of the “major media” lives, eats and breathes only in urban (particularly New York, Boston & L.A.) areas. I will grant you that you are correct. But I would say that reflected in the majorities opinions on other hot cultural topics, few (if any) are seen through the Judeo-Christian lens.